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Solar Farm Application in Leigh

Solar Farm at Little Flanchford Farm

A Planning Application has been made to Mole Valley District Council for the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of a 11.32 MVA ground-mounted solar farm. It is proposed for a period of 40 years and includes landscaping, associated infrastructure, and temporary construction access.

Details can be found at https://littleflanchfordfarm.co.uk  and on the MVDC Planning Portal at https://planning.agileapplications.co.uk/mole/application-details/126928 MO/2024/1823

It is important that residents have the opportunity to express their individual views on this proposal and comment on the application, representations can be made on-line to MVDC or in writing to the Planning Department: Mole Valley District Council, Pippbrook, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SJ.

The decision on the Application by MVDC is scheduled for the 27 February 2025, the expiry date for public comments is 6 January 2025, however, representations received after this date can still be taken into consideration up until the end of January.

Leigh Parish Council will be responding to the Application representing residents’ views therefore, in addition to making representation to MVDC, the Parish Council would welcome your views and comments which can be emailed in confidence to leighsolarfeedback@gmail.com  or in writing to The Parish Clerk, 7 Yew Tree Road, Charlwood RH6 0DE.

Share your Experiences and Help Shape Next Year’s Community Safety Priorities

Share your Experiences and Help Shape Next Year’s Community Safety Priorities

Mole Valley’s residents and businesses have the opportunity to help inform the community safety partnership priorities for 2025/26 as part of a six-week consultation run by Mole Valley Community Safety Partnership (MVCSP). Respondents are being asked to provide first-hand experiences of crime and/or anti-social behaviour, whilst also providing a sense of how safe they feel living and working in the district.

 

MVCSP is made up of organisations and authorities responsible for keeping people safe. The members are Mole Valley District Council, Surrey Police, Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, Surrey County Council, Surrey and Sussex Probation Service, Surrey Fire Authority, Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group, and local Housing Associations. 

The work of Mole Valley’s Community Safety Partnership links to the countywide Community Safety Vision for Surrey and Surrey Community Safety Agreement which outlines how responsible authorities in Surrey collaborate to reduce crime and disorder. It focuses on protecting vulnerable individuals, safeguarding communities, and empowering residents to feel safe. Through alignment with pan-Surrey strategies and partnerships, MVCSP can prioritise local actions where it adds value.

Are you concerned about crime in your area? Have you been a victim of crime or anti-social behaviour? Are there places in Mole Valley where you don’t feel safe? Are you confident that crime is being tackled? Visit molevalley.gov.uk/mvcsp between Wednesday 6 November and Wednesday 18 December 2024 to have your say. Alternatively, hardcopies of the survey are available from Mole Valley District Council’s Dorking offices, RH4 1SJ* and libraries in the district.

 

MVCSP really wants to hear from those living and working in the district to ensure the priorities set are reflective of crime and anti-social behaviour being experienced. The agreed priorities for 2024/25 include:
 

·       Anti-social behaviour 

·       Domestic Abuse 

·       Hate Crime 

·       Rural and Envirocrime 

·       Shoplifting 

·       Violence against Women and Girls 

·       Violent Crime among Youths and Younger Adult Males   

 

Rachel O’Reilly, Chair of Mole Valley Community Safety Partnership, said: “This consultation will give us the opportunity to hear everyone’s views on crime and community safety. It is vital we have a good understanding of people’s experiences of crime and anti-social behaviour and any particular problems they may have in their local area as this will help us to focus our resources on the things that matter most to the community and will inform our priorities and action plan for next year. Once this is all in place I hope our residents, businesses and visitors to our district will feel safer in the knowledge that all our partners will be doing everything possible to help reduce instances of crime and anti-social behaviour ”   

Pharmacy First – from Brockwood Medical Practice

The ‘Pharmacy First’ has been set up by NHS England to help manage patient workload. Many patients that attend for acute on the day issues could be seen by a trained pharmacist who can offer advice and supply some NHS medicines where clinically appropriate and under strict clinical pathways.

These are the conditions where your surgery can refer a patient to a pharmacy:

  • Uncomplicated UTI for women 16-64yrs
  • Shingles 18yr+
  • Impetigo 1yr+
  • Infected insect bites 1yr+
  • Sinusitis 12yr+
  • Sore throat 5yr+
  • Earache 1-17yrs

All pharmacies who have signed up for the Pharmacy First can treat these conditions.  Patients will contact their surgery in the usual way.  If suitable the surgery will refer to the pharmacy and the pharmacy will contact the patient directly.  The outcome is then added to the patient’s record.

If you do need some medical advice on a non-urgent issue you may also want to consider using your pharmacies more.  They are extremely knowledgeable well trained but typically underutilised.

Advanced notice for Sprint Triathlon event Sunday 8th September

Extract from leaflet distributed to local residents and businesses

An estimated 200 triathletes will participate in the unique, exciting event, that is the Tri Reigate Sprint Triathlon event.

Many of the triathletes will be locals to Surrey and surrounding areas, supporting local charities of all kinds. Additionally, the Tri Reigate Sprint Triathlon provides a valuable opportunity for fundraisers to generate funds for their chosen charity.

The route has been carefully considered and designed with support from Surrey County Council and Emergency Services.  The event will start and finish inside Buckland Park. The official race start time is 9:30am, and all triathletes will have finished by 11:30am.

However, in order for the event to take place safely we have organised experienced marshals to man the surrounding roads where the triathletes will cycle as part of the route. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like a travel plan provided to avoid the roads in use, please contact us or call 07858605702 for more further information. The same number provided will be the number to call during the event if you have any questions or concerns.

Cyclists will be on the roads from 9:45am until 11am on Sunday 8th September.

The roads used will be: A25 – Reigate Road, Old Road, Old Reigate Road, Kiln Lane, Brockham Lane, Old School Lane, Bushbury Lane, Roothill Lane, Brockhamhurst Road, Leigh Road, Shellwood Road, Clayhill Road, Newdigate Road, Bunce Common Road, Flanchford Road and A25 – Buckland Road.

Please be mindful and aware of the cyclists on Sunday 8th September. Our volunteers & marshals will be available on race day to offer advice. We can assure you that no roads will be closed during this event. Both vehicles and cyclists will be sharing the roads used as part of the cycle route. We ask that residents with parked vehicles on the used roads listed would kindly move their vehicles to another location during the time of the race in order to provide a clear route for the cyclists.

This is a community event and there are a number of ways in which local residents can get involved by coming out and cheering on the triathletes on the route or volunteering on the event.

Providing a safe and enjoyable event requires the help of volunteers. If you would like to join “Team Tri Reigate” you can contact us. With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous, one of the more well-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Plus, it can be really good fun!  In exchange for volunteering at the event, you shall receive two free RunThrough race entries in addition to a RunThrough £10 voucher.

Thank you in advance for your support of the Tri Reigate Sprint Triathlon event.

Location: Buckland, Betchworth, Brockham, Leigh and Reigate
Contact: Use contact details provided above

 

 

What does the Parish Council actually do?

Make a difference to the community you live in! Want to find out more?

What is a Parish Council?
A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish.  It is the level government closest to the community, with the district authority (Mole Valley District Council) above it in the hierarchy. As it is the authority closest to the people, parish councils are invariably the first place people will go with concerns or ideas.  For this reason they are a vital part of any community.

Why become a Parish Councillor?
If you’ve never been to a parish council meeting before, you may be forgiven for thinking that parish councillors are a group of (probably older) people who meet now and then in a draughty village hall.  If, however, you live in a community where something ‘big’ has happened, you’ll know that when people in the community need support and guidance, it is sometimes the parish council that is turned to.

By becoming a parish councillor, you become someone your community will look to for help, guidance and support – a community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve. Seeing your community change for the better, as a result of decisions you have helped make, is something that can give you a sense of achievement and pride.

What decisions do Parish Councils make?
Parish councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community.  Probably the most common topics that parish councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), crime prevention, managing open spaces and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.

It’s true to say that on their own, parish councils have limited powers to make decisions.  But they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions (such as the borough council, health authorities, police etc).

In this respect parish councils are extremely powerful.  The organisations that make the final decisions know that a parish council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its views will be taken seriously.

How much time does it take up?
Leigh Parish Council usually meet once a month for the council meeting, to which members of the public are also invited.  Meetings normally last up to two hours, depending on the agenda set for the meeting to discuss.  In addition to the regular meetings, councillors are  sometimes asked to attend other meetings representing the council.

How long does a parish councillor serve for?
Once elected, parish councillors sit on the council for a maximum of four years.  If they then want to stay in the post they can stand for re-election.

Am I eligible to be a Parish Councillor?
To stand for election on a parish council, you must:

  • be a UK or commonwealth citizen, or;
  • be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or;
  • be a citizen of another Member state of the European Union;
  • be a least 18 years old.

To be eligible to stand for an election for a particular parish, you must:

  • be an elector of the parish, or;
  • for the whole of the previous 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish, or;
  • during the previous 12 months have worked in the parish (as your principal or only place of work), or;
  • for the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the parish or within three miles of the parish boundary.

You don’t have to be connected to a political party.

If you do become a parish councillor you will have to sign up to the Code of Conduct.

What powers do parish councils have?
They have a wide range of powers which essentially related to local matters, such as looking after community buildings, open space, allotments, play areas, bus shelters, car parks and much more.  The council also has the power to raise money through taxation, the precept.  The precept is the parish council’s share of the council tax.  The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the district council, which collects the tax for the parish council.

Parish Duties – Leigh Parish Council meets at Leigh Cricket Pavilion on the 3rd Monday of a month in the evening from 7:30pm (apart from August). There are currently 2 vacancies which means that new councillors if suitable, can be co-opted on without election.

Don’t take our word for it! The best way to find out what it’s like to be a parish councillor is to talk to someone who’s doing it now.  Come along to a parish council meeting, or speak to one of our councillors and find out what they think of the job.

If you contact the clerk on leighparishcouncil@gmail.com they will put you in touch.

Leigh Parish Council – July Activity

Members of the Parish Council will be attending the Leigh Flower Show this Saturday – for the first time on our own stand. Do please come along and meet us, we’ll be happy to discuss any local issues that you want to raise.

One topic we are particularly interested to get feedback on is the proposal for a solar farm on Little Flanchford Farm in the village. You may have already seen the letter from ILOS Energy and the planning application is likely to be submitted to Mole Valley in the next couple of months. This will also be discussed at the next Parish Council meeting. Representatives from the company will be there to answer any questions there may be. All are welcome to attend. We are also hoping that the police will be attending to give an update on local issues.

The Parish Council meeting will be held at 7:30pm on Monday 22nd July at The Pavilion, Bunce Common Road.

Little Flanchford Solar Farm

Public consultation on Tuesday 9th July, 2024
from 3-7pm at Leigh Village Hall
ILOS Energy is proposing the development of a solar farm at Little Flanchford Farm, Flanchford Rd, Leigh, Surrey RH2 8RD.

To find out more please attend the public consultation on: Tuesday
9th July, from 3-7pm at Leigh Village Hall, (Abbotts Pass Hall) Bunce Common Rd, Leigh, Reigate RH2 8NP. In the meantime, you can contact the company at:
feedback@littleflanchfordfarm.co.uk or call 07843 841455 should you wish to discuss the proposal further.

 

Grass cutting across Surrey

From the Surrey Highways Service

For works scheduled 1 – 7 July 2024

Close up of grass
Grass cutting across Surrey
We are responsible for grass cutting and weed control for public highways across Surrey.  However, this doesn’t mean we do everything. Some land, which might look like the highway, will be private or the responsibility of the local district or borough council.

Our grass cutting programme can be heavily affected by weather. We cannot cut when it is raining heavily or shortly after heavy rain, because machinery will not cut wet grass properly and risks damaging the grass itself. If the ground is saturated, like we experienced earlier this year, the machinery will damage the verge.

Over the past few months, grass cutting in some areas has been delayed and not always up to the standard we would like. The very wet March and April meant there were many days we couldn’t cut areas. This has had a knock-on effect across the programme.

We are doing all we can to address the situation, including working with our contractors to increase resources and get the programme back on track.

 

When will grass be cut where I live?

Our new interactive grass cutting map shows you when your area is due to be cut.

Weather and ground conditions permitting, urban spaces are cut six times a year. For rural areas, cuts take place twice a year.

 

How can I find out more?

More information about our grass cutting programme is available on our dedicated webpage.

If you have concerns about the height of highway grass impacting on driver’s vision, please contact us so we can make sure this is prioritised.